Fascinating explorations of choir and group singing in all shapes and sizes
The medieval English Cuckoo round
The preserved manuscript of this song was copied around 1261. Although the composer is not known it was possibly written by W. de Wycombe (William of Winchcombe) or perhaps a monk at Reading Abbey. It is the oldest known music featuring six-part harmony.
The musical form is a Rota (latin: "Wheel") a type of Round. If you look carefully at the manuscript you will see a red cross indicating when the next voice (starting at the beginning) should enter.
Sumer is icumen in (first two lines)
The story of a world-famous song (with curly hair!)
Imagine you’re a schoolteacher on your end of term break. You’ve just finished your breakfast on Christmas Eve in the year 1818 when there’s a panicked rap on the door.
Bleary-eyed, you open the door to the local young priest who is clutching a piece of paper. “We have a major problem “ he blurts.
So you invite him in and pacing up and down eventually says. “Franz, You can’t play the organ at midnight mass tonight. The river burst its banks last night and although the flood has subsided from the church - the organ is completely ruined.”
Chapel on the site where the song was first performed
Dance of the Monkey King
Part of the ethos of Canto is introducing the choir to the widest variety of music from all kinds of genres, eras and traditions
Let me take you on an exploratory journey of community music from the island of Bali, Indonesia with the Kecak. (pronounced 'Keh-chak")
Do you know the benefits of singing together with others?
It’s good for your physical health, your well-being and happiness and a great social glue
A wonderful piece of music composed only months before Mozart died
So why did he compose it?
